Welcome to the Liquid Kitchen

Kathy Casey is widely regarded as the original bar-chef, and Liquid Kitchen, the beverage consulting agency she founded, stands as a pioneer in bringing the principles of the kitchen into the bar. Liquid Kitchen has something to offer everyone, from exciting recipes for home cocktail enthusiasts to full services for global brands, suppliers and operators.

You know it’s the holiday season when eggnog starts a’pouring! Velvety smooth and rich with eggs, cream and nutmeg, served cold, “straight up,” over ice, or with a splash of rum or brandy, it puts the holiday cheer into any gathering.

Since the “eggnog” flavor is so popular, it is so much fun to create recipes using this old-time favorite. During the season, most dairies now offer “ultra” or “gourmet” eggnog and a non-fat or low-fat version as well as their standard product.

If a warm winter drink is your fancy – try this Eggnog Buttered Brandy by Chef Kathy Casey… a D’lish take on a traditional favorite! You can make the batter for this winter warmer and store it frozen for up to a month to have on hand for holiday events.

Here are some other fun ideas for using eggnog:

Try eggnog instead of milk or cream in your coffee

Order your next latte with steamed eggnog

Make an Eggnog Splash — Serve eggnog over ice, with spiced rum, Grand Marnier and a splash of soda water!

Be sure butter is softened. Cream butter and sugars together with a beater in a mixing bowl until totally smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.

This bubbly twist on a classic margarita is great served as a single cocktail or pre-batched for a large gathering. Instead of the typical orange liqueur or triple sec as a modifier, this recipe calls for the sweet and tart flavor profile of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur.

Makes 1 Cocktail

Tear sage and add to a mixing glass. Add all other ingredients except champagne to the mixing glass then add ice, cap and shake. Strain into a cocktail glass. Top with champagne or sparkling wine. Garnish with a sage leaf.

It was the 15th Anniversary of Tails of the Cocktail #TOTC17 this year and there was a lot to celebrate! Founded in 2002 by Ann Tuennerman, this gathering of cocktail lovers has grown into the world’s premier cocktail festival for the liquor industry and enthusiasts alike. The festival brings together spirit professionals from all over the world in historic New Orleans- and Seattle’s presence is always strong.

TOTC 2017 was another exciting round-up of competitions, awards, seminars, and best of all- lots of cocktails shared among friends. Hundreds of spirit professionals, including Robert Hess, Audrey Sanders, and several Seattle superstars were seen sipping and dining around the city in style.

Sanders also played a huge role at the festival alongside her long-time mentor Dale DeGroff. Sanders, founder of New York’s award-winning Pegu Club, and DeGroff, who is widely known as the King of Cocktails, were honored with a special award as the official 2017 Tales of the Cocktail® Ambassadors. The two are true cocktail legends who have had a sizable impact on the resurgence of cocktails around the world.

In the words of Seattle Times columnist of all things boozy, Tan Vinh– “Scoring a seat at Canon just got harder.” 50 bartenders and booze representatives from the Northwest erupted into cheers when Canon was named the winner. Read more about it here!

And speaking of Tan- I seemed to run into him everywhere…clearly Seattleites get around!

Tan Vinh – at the Meet The Distiller Event

And of course there were the cocktails…the #Emoji Bar Menu at the #ElyxHouse was incredible! The cocktails were delivered on a tiny train!

Seattle’s Andrew Friedman was a seminar and panel machine! Proprietor of Liberty Bar and Scout Spirits, Friedman is a tireless small business champion and hospitality industry mentor. He shared his wisdom during 4 presentations including The Value of Values: Embedding Purpose into Business, Intellectual Property Law Issues in Cocktail Land, and New Business Models for Bars. He also moderated About Tip: New CompensationRealities, alongside Scott Rixe, bar manager of Seattle’s Poppy.

Cheers to you, Andrew Friedman! Photo by Gabi Porter

And of course, there were late night shenanigans….Local Brazilian cachaça importer aka team Novo Fogo enjoyed a few Novo Fogo based “Negroni’s” before the sun came up.

And we can’t forget about our Portland neighbors! Legendary barman and New York transplant Jim Meehan hosted the BANKS Rum spirited dinner for a group of #TOTC17 attendees alongside newly appointed brand ambassador, Stilo Pimentel.

Pimeltel and Meehan having a toast.

Cheers to another great Tales of the Cocktail – Kathy Casey

Kathy Casey is certainly not a Tales of the Cocktail Virgin. This year was her 6th time visiting Tales- where she stays up way too late while “tasting” many delicious cocktails and toasting with spirited Seattle friends. www.liquidkitchen.com

Yes, #daydrinking is a thing and now it is the savory breakfast cocktail, The Bloody Mary which is seeing it’s share of fun in the sun! From the instagrammable over the top garnishes to the unexpected savory and spicy flavors, it is the perfect boozy drink when you don’t want something sweet.

For those looking to up their Bloody Mary game, there is a new book out by Ellen Brown: The Bloody Mary Book: Reinventing a Classic Cocktail for us to enjoy! With 65 recipes with exotic flavors like, harissa and cumin, to the more classic. Plus a great selection of bar food bites that are perfect compliments. Order yours here!